 |
December 20th when most
people are thinking about shopping and presents and stuff like that. I
opted out and climbed
Pen y Fan once
more. It was very cold but did
result in a few 'snaps'. |
 |
December 4th 2008. Credit
Crunch, VAT down to 15%, sun shining, cold. Good
day to climb Pen y Fan. |
 |
The end of November 2008 and
Santa Claus comes to Cowbridge, complete
with reindeer. |
 |
Early autumn 2008 finds Jean
and I in North Wales for a few days walking.
Newborough Woods and
Dunes on Anglesey are high on our wish list. |
 |
North Wales is world famous for
its slate quarries
which have produced slate roofs for millions of houses in their years of
production. Sadly, it is now cheaper to import Spanish slate at half the
price of a locally sourced one. Why? |
 |
Covehithe is a tiny village to
the north of Southwold which is on
the coast of Suffolk. The geographical location
does nothing to entice you there but, believe me, the county of
Suffolk has a great deal to offer.
First, we visited
Beth Chatto's garden. A splendid
and famous garden. |
 |
Cwm Idwal
in North Wales is Wales' first nature reserve and is a favourite spot
for walkers and climbers in Snowdonia. I can now also add photographers
to that list. With a spectacular backdrop of the mountain range
including 'Devil's kitchen' it's a must at any time of year. |
|
 |
Rhyader is pretty close to what I would
call the centre of Wales. It's also a pretty place in its own right with
a strong character and some excellent scenery all around. It is also
known as the home of the Welsh Red Kite feeding centre that was just a
short distance from our chosen accommodation.
And, then there's the
Elan Valley... |
 |
Bletchley Park
near Milton Keynes is, or was, one of Britain's best kept secrets. 9000
people worked around the clock throughout most of World War 2 breaking
codes used by the Germans. |
|
 |
Coton Manor is a beautiful 17th Century
Manor house set in 10 acres of gardens. It is built of mellow
Northamptonshire stone and set on a hillside. It's gorgeous! |
 |
Mid July and Jean and I took a
short break in deepest
Pembrokeshire. The National Trust's
splendid Llanerchareon
was on our hit list. |
|
 |
Mid June and I am off to
Istanbul
on a short, working trip.
I did manage to get a few more non work pics
of this amazing city though. Surprise, surprise. |
 |
June 9th, and it's a day
trip to the superb beaches of
Gower. |
 |
The first day of June saw us
in the Kenfig
national nature reserve.
'It is one of the finest Wildlife habitats in Wales
and one of the last remnants of a huge dune system that once stretched
along the coast of Southern Wales from the River Ogmore to the Gower
peninsula. The reserve is home to unique wild orchids, as well as
insects and wildlife.' |
 |
Only two weeks after
returning from China, I'm off to
Las Vegas, once again on a work related
trip. 'Work?' my friends exclaimed. Well, yes, it was. To attend N.A.B.
a giant Television exhibition. That's the exhibition that's giant you
understand.
But there was also time to take a few 'snaps.' |
 |
A short but
intensively pictorial look at my farthest travels yet:
China. I had a few days visiting Yuyao a large
provincial town in the province of Zhejiang in south east China.
Fascinating and very interesting, especially for a photographer. |
 |
A tale of two
cities, Krakow and
Warsaw.
We took a short trip to
Poland in which we see a
great deal of that country's history and its people.
We also visited
Auschwitz, Birkenau and the 700 year
old salt mines. |
 |
Mid February and the Jet
stream has sent us some beautifully sunny weather. (about time too) Jean
and I took a coach trip to deepest Gloucestershire to 'Snowdrop
Lovers Heaven'. |
 |
The end of a wet January and
I managed just one trip up our local mountain,
Pen y Fan.
There was a certain beauty in the detail of the hoar frost on the stones
at the summit. (The image on the left
here has been accepted for display in the
Welsh Photographic Salon for 2008.)
Some panoramic pics of the Brecons
here. |
 |
New Years Day and we try and
burn off a few calories by taking one of Valeways circular walks
starting from Wenvoe village. It's a
calm, dry and mild day. It's known as the
Warlow walk. |
